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Preaching Profanity

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• Tonight I want to bring a message which I have entitled, "Preaching Profanity." And I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 20, verse 7. And I am sure that everyone knows what this verse is. Exodus chapter 20, verse 7. Notice, if you would please, what God says. Exodus 20, verse 7: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Very simple verse. Very straightforward. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." And then he tells us, "For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Preaching profanity. Everyone knows what profanity is, right?

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• I mean, all you have to do if you really don't know what profanity is, is to go to several special meeting places. I'm talking about pool halls. And usually on the wall of a pool hall, you'll see something like this: "No profanity allowed." Now what they mean by "no profanity allowed," they simply mean, as we say in South Georgia, no cussing, no dirty or foul or filthy language. And, of course, usually what you and I do, we always include slang language when we talk about profanity. We hear bad language everywhere we go. Sailors are known for their foul mouth and their foul language. And, you know, although America is an English-speaking country, we have a lot of Americans that can speak French very fluently. Because everywhere you go, you hear people saying, "Pardon my French." And you understand what they're doing when they say, "Pardon my French." You know, it used to be, and I remember this when I was a boy, that gentlemen would never, ever curse or use profanity in front of a woman.

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• But of course, in today's society, women can curse equally as fluid as men can. And you know what has happened. It seems amazing, but many small children that can't even carry on a conversation intelligently, somehow have acquired a repertoire of extreme filthy and foul language. I remember a pastor friend and I were visiting in a home, and there was a little three or four year old boy there. And he came up to my pastor friend, and he used some of the filthiest, foulest language, taking God's name in vain, and cursing my pastor friend. I looked at his grandma, and I said, "Did you hear what that little boy said?"

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• Because he could not talk plainly, but I was pretty sure I heard exactly what he said. I said, "Did you hear what that little boy said?" She kind of laughed and said, "Yeah, it's cute, isn't it?" I said, "No, ma'am, it's not." And it's an interesting thing. Cursing and swearing and foul language have always been problematic. In fact, listen to the order that was signed by General George Washington. He writes: "The general is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice hitherto little known in our American army, is growing into fashion. He hopes that the officers will, by example as well as by influence, endeavor to check it and that both they and the men will reflect that we can have little hope of the blessing of heaven on our army if we insult it by our impiety and folly.

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• Added to this, it is a vice so mean and so low, without any temptation, that every man of sense and character detests it and despises it." You know, Scripture is very clear when it comes to our language. God says, in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 verse 29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers." The Bible says in the book of Colossians chapter 4 verse 6, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer every man."

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• Now, I want you to stop it. I'm not really talking about just cursing tonight. You'll understand in just a moment because I'm dealing with the subject "Preaching Profanity." But I remember when I was a young boy, I had an uncle and he was a very small man. And I never liked to be around him because every sentence out of his mouth, he cursed, usually taking God's name in vain. And my father was a pretty good-sized man. And I remember asking him why my uncle cursed all the time. And he said, "Well, son," he said, "he's a small man. He said, not just physically, but evidently intellectually as well."

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• And he said he thinks he has to elevate himself by punctuating everything he says with foul language and curse words. And then my father said this, he said, "Son, if you will always say what you mean and mean what you say, you will never have to punctuate it with foul language." I said, "Yes, sir, I understand that." Now, the problem is this: in our language, like in everything else, the Word of God says that we're to abstain from all appearance of evil. But, you know, the problem when it comes to profanity is this. We really do not understand the implications or the extent of profanity. What we have done in Christian circles is we have limited profanity to language.

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• Let me tell you something, and I'm going to show it to you from the Bible tonight. You can be profane and never utter a curse word. You can be profane and never use foul, filthy language. The fact of the matter is there are many preachers in this country that preach profanity. And usually those who preach profanity are what you and I would call very nice, likable, congenial men. Now, let me give you an illustration, and I'm going to give you this illustration for two reasons. The first one is to show you that not everything that we think is profanity is profanity.

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• And the second reason is just simply to emphasize a point. Now, let me use an expression. And please understand, I do not use this expression in my life, but I'm using it here just to prove a point. Many times you hear a Southern man use an expression. He'll say something like this: "It's not worth a damn." Now, let me just tell you right up, that is not cursing. That is not profanity. In reality, it is an economic expression. Now, I don't use that language simply because most people really do not understand it. But let me just tell you how that came into our language. Do you realize the expression is really and truly an economic expression? It came into our language from two sources.

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• The first source was from England. And you'll remember how that John Bunyan was a tinker. You know what a tinker was? A tinker was a man who went around and repaired vessels. And there were some wicked, vile tinkers. And what they would do when a vessel was broken, instead of fixing that vessel correctly, they would cheat the people. They would take clay and put it over the crack in the vessel, and then they would put a very thin layer of metal over that clay. Well, the vessel would not leak until it was heated. When it was heated then, the clay would crack, the thin layer of metal would crack, the vessel began to leak, and the people would say, "It's not worth a dam" or "It's not worth a tinker's dam." In other words, the tinker did not dam that crack the way he should have. Or if the vessel was, the crack was too wide, they would say it's not worth damming. So they were giving an economic expression of the worthlessness of the vessel.

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• The second way that came into our English language is from the Duke of Wellington when he was in India. Do you realize in India the coin of least value in his day was the dam, the D-A-M? And when they would say "It's not worth a dam," they were saying actually it's not worth a cent. It was like in our country, we would say "It's not worth a continental." A continental dollar was absolutely worthless.

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• So the point I'm trying to make is, in reality, we think of that today as cursing, but in reality it is indeed an economic expression. Now, like I say, I did not give you that illustration to encourage anyone to say that. I don't say it, but I'm just simply pointing out the fact not everyone understands profanity, and we tend to think that profanity just simply deals with language. Let me say it again. I said it before. You can be profane and never, ever use foul language. You can be profane and never, ever curse and never do anything in speaking that anyone would ever question. In fact, the preachers who are profane, once again, are very nice, cordial, congenial, and likable men. Now, let me give you a definition, and then I'm going to show it to you from the Bible. The American Heritage Dictionary defines profanity, and here's the definition it gives: "the condition or quality of being profane and abusive, vulgar, irreverent language." Now most of us understand that latter part, vulgar, abusive, irreverent language.

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• We can pick up on that instantaneously. But what we fail to understand is the first part, "the condition or the quality of being profane."

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• Now, the Bible says in Exodus 20, verse 7, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." You could actually read that, "Thou shalt not profane the name of the Lord." In other words, taking the Lord's name in vain and profanity and profaning the name of the Lord are basically interchangeable. It basically means the same thing. Now, God says, "Thou shalt not take his name in vain." What does it mean to take God's name in vain? Well, to take God's name in vain is in reality to deny the one true and the living God.

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• It is when you and I have a profession of Him in our lives, but that profession is absolutely empty. In other words, our thoughts are not concerning God. Our lives are alienated from God. We're not concerned about His Word. We're not concerned about His truth. We've made a profession, but we really live as if God did not exist or as if God had never spoken. Let me show you.

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• Hold Exodus chapter 20, but look in your Bibles to the book of Titus chapter 1 and verse 16. Now look what God says concerning these individuals. And please note, if you would, the word "profess." The book of Titus chapter 1 and notice verse 16. The Word of God says, "They profess that they know God." In other words, "We're godly people. We know God." "They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate." So on the one hand, here are people that are professing to be God's people. They're professing to know God, but then God says in their works they deny Him. Now what Titus 1 and verse 16 is teaching us is what Exodus 20, verse 7 teaches us. When you and I profess with the loudest voice that we're Christians, that we're God's people, and yet we live lives that are contrary to Christianity and contrary to the Word of God, we are guilty of profaning the name of the Lord. We are guilty of taking God's name in vain.

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• Now, when the Bible says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," the Hebrew word has the emphasis of desolating. In other words, "Thou shalt not take God's name intently or falsely or lyingly." It speaks basically of absolutely worthless conduct. And the word "take" literally means to bury or to carry off or to bear. So God says you shall not bear or carry off my name lyingly, intently, falsely.

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• And that's exactly what they were doing in Titus chapter one. Now, let me show you from the New Testament the positive side of this commandment. The negative is, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." The negative is, "Thou shalt not profane the name of the Lord." If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians, chapter four, to begin with, here is the positive side of this commandment. Notice Ephesians, chapter four, verse one. Ephesians four, verse one.

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• The apostle Paul writes and he says this: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called." Note what he said, "that you walk worthy of the vocation or the calling wherewith you are called." You don't walk unworthily. You don't walk emptily. You don't walk lyingly. No, you walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called. Skip down to verse 17.

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• We read it last night. He said this: "This I say therefore and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of your mind." In other words, a child of God, a Christian, is to be walking totally and completely, entirely differently from the way the ungodly walk. Look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 1 and verse 10. Colossians 1 and verse 10. Again, Paul says, "that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Note that you might walk worthy of the Lord. How do you walk worthy of the Lord? Unto all pleasing. That is, you please Him, you're fruitful in every good work, and you increase in the knowledge of God. Now look in 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 12. You'll see it again. This is the positive side of "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." In 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 12, he says it like this: "that you would walk worthy of God who has called you into His kingdom and glory."

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• In other words, since God has called you, since God has saved you, you now walk worthy of that name. You do not walk emptily and lyingly and falsely. You walk worthily.

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• Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Leviticus 18. And let me take you through the Bible very quickly and show you some things about the word "profane." Notice if you would, Leviticus chapter 18 and verse 21, and this is the very first time the word "profane" is used in the Bible. Usually, the law of first mention is the very first time something is used in the Bible. That's the way it's going to be used throughout the Bible, unless, of course, the context indicates otherwise. But in Leviticus 18, verse 21, you have the very first time the word "profane" occurs. Look at it: "And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God, I am the Lord." "Thou shalt not let any of thy children or any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of the Lord thy God." Now, Molech was a false god.

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• Usually, Molech was served not only with the sacrifice of children, but sometimes with the act of dedication or purification of those children, dedicating them to Molech. Now, God says you're not to let any of your seed pass through the fire to Molech. You're not to give your children to the wicked, ungodly Molech system. He said, those that do so profane the name of the Lord.

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• Now let me ask a very simple question. Why should we not give our children to Molech? Why should we not purify them and dedicate them to Molech? Why should we not sacrifice them? The answer is very simple. Because we're Christians and we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we believe in His Word, we've been called to be peculiar and therefore we have nothing to do with Molech. Why? We're bound to our God through his word. So the very first time the word "profane" occurs, it has nothing to do with language.

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• It has to do with actions, conduct. Look in your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 12. Here's the second time the word occurs. He says, "And you shall not swear by my name falsely. Neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God, I am the Lord." Now note what he said, "Thou shalt not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of the Lord." Well, one of the evidences that we are indeed his children is that when we swear by him, we swear by him in truth.

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• I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, swearing and worship are intimately connected. For instance, hold Leviticus if you would, but look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 13. Deuteronomy 6 verse 13. Notice what God says. Deuteronomy 6 verse 13: "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him, and shalt swear by His name." Wow! "...Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him, and shalt swear by His name.

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• You shall not go after other gods, or the gods of the people which are around about you. You swear by His name." What does that mean? You acknowledge Him. You confess Him as the one true and the living God, and beside Him there is none else. Look in Deuteronomy 10 and verse 20. Deuteronomy 10 and verse 20. Again, God says this: "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name." Now, swearing by His name does not mean that you go around taking His name in vain. Swearing by His name means, of course, that you live according to His Word in truth. You adhere to Him in truth. For instance, if you look in your Bibles, to the book of Isaiah 48, and notice verse 1. Look what God says when He's condemning the people. Notice how He condemns them and what He says concerning them. Isaiah chapter 48 verse 1. Watch carefully now. "Hear ye this, O house of Israel, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.

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• For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel, the Lord of hosts is his name." Now what is he saying? Here's the people that say, "We're God's people. We swear by His name. He's the one true and the living God. He's the one that we should love. He's the one that we should serve." But God says your swearing is not in truth. Your swearing is not in righteousness.

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• Let me show you how far they went. Turn right over to the book of Jeremiah, if you would please. Chapter 7. Jeremiah chapter 7. This explains what it means swearing by His name falsely. Notice Jeremiah chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 9. Look what God asks. Jeremiah 7 verse 9: "Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not, and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?

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• Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because you have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early, and speaking. But you heard not. I called you, and you answered not. Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, which you trust in, and unto the place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim." Note what God said. Will you steal? Would you murder? Would you commit adultery? Would you swear falsely?

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• Would you burn incense to all these other gods and then say, "This is why God delivered us"? God said, "You better pay attention. You're swearing falsely. You're claiming to be My people, and yet on the other hand, you're totally and completely violating My covenant and My Word." Swearing by God's name in truth means that we not only profess that He's the one true and living God, we live and act and walk like He is indeed the one true and living God.

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• Now I'm just pointing out the fact profanity really so far in the Bible has nothing to do with language. Look in your Bibles if you would to the book of Leviticus 21. Again, let me show you the next occurrence of the word "profane." Notice Leviticus chapter 21 and verse 6. Leviticus 21, verse 6. Notice what the Bible says.

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• Now, he's talking about the priests. He says, "They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God. For the offerings of the Lord made by fire and the bread of their God they do offer. Therefore, they shall be holy." Now certainly when God's talking about the priest, He's not talking about people who are walking around cursing and taking God's name in vain. So when He says, "Thou shalt not profane the name of their God," He has nothing to do with profanity. Profanity in this verse has nothing to do with language, but everything to do with life. What He is saying is these priests are not to live unholy, ungodly lives. God is demanding holiness. Look in Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 32. Leviticus 23, verse 32. Leviticus 23 and verse 32.

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• "It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls, even the ninth day of the month, and even from then unto you celebrate your sabbath." Well, that's not the verse I wanted. Leviticus 23 and verse 32. Well, I'll quote it for you. I know what it says. It says, "Neither shall you profane my holy name." Maybe you see it there. "Neither shall you profane my holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord which hallowed you." Notice he said, "You shall not profane my holy name. I will be hallowed among the children of Israel." So again, God is saying to the priests that they are indeed—I was in 23, that's what it was—that you shall not profane my name, neither shall you profane my holy name, but I'll be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord which hallow you. So God is talking to the priests, and once again, it has nothing to do with language. Now, if you would turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 2, let me show you some priests that did not hallow God's name and were not holy.

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• 1 Samuel 2, beginning there with verse 12. Everyone knows the story of Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Notice 1 Samuel 2 and verse 12: "Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial," that is, they were sons of the devil. "They knew not the Lord. And the priest's custom with the people was, that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething or boiling, with a flesh hook of three teeth in his hand.

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• And he struck it into the pan of the kettle, cauldron, or pot. And all that the flesh hook brought up, the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came and said to the man that sacrificed, 'Give flesh to roast, for the priest will not have it sodden of thee, but raw.' And if any man say unto him, 'Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth,' then he would answer him, 'Nay, but thou shalt give it me now. If not, I will take it by force.'

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• Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred, or hated, or despised, and detested the offering of the Lord."

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• Now here's what it was. Here was the pot boiling. Here was the offering. And the priest then would come, or his servant, with a flesh hook of three teeth, hooked into the pot. Whatever came up belonged to the priest. But now, Hophni and Phinehas didn't want that. They came to the man before it was put in the pot. They said, "We don't want boiled meat. We want meat to grill."

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• "Give it to us now." "Well, let's burn the fat first." "No, if you don't give it to us now, we'll take it." What were they doing? They were profaning the name of the Lord by their conduct. In fact, their sin was great before the Lord, but that's not all. Skip down to verse 22.

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• Now, Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how they laid with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he said unto them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear you make the Lord's people to transgress."

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• "If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him. But if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?" Notwithstanding they hearken not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them."

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• Now, what did God tell the priest? "You shall not profane my name." I know that Hophni and Phinehas were wicked men, but the Bible does not say that they went around cursing, taking God's name in vain. What they did do was violate God's word, violate God's law constantly and consistently in their lives. They were profane. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 12, and let me show it to you in the New Testament. Hebrews, chapter 12, and I'm sure that you're familiar with this verse. Hebrews 12.

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• Look, if you would, please, at verse 16. Here's the warning: "Lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright." Now note if you would, "lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau." Now the Bible does not tell us that Esau went around cursing, but the Bible does tell us that Esau was a very profane man. Now, you have to ask yourself this question: what was it that made Esau profane?

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• Well, go back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 25. Let me show you Genesis 25 to begin with. And you know the story, but here it is, Genesis 25. And let's begin reading there with verse 29. Genesis 25, verse 29: "And Jacob saw a pottage, and Esau came from the field, and he was faint. And Esau said to Jacob, 'Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint.'

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• Therefore was his name called Edom. Jacob said, 'Sell me this day thy birthright.' And Esau said, 'Behold, I am at the point to die. What profit shall this birthright do to me?' And Jacob said, 'Swear to me this day.' And he swore to him, and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and a pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. And thus he despised his birthright."

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• Now, let me just show you. Why is Esau called a profane man? First of all, because he despised spiritual things.

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• Now, when he came up, when Jacob was cooking this pottage, he told Jacob, he said, "Feed me with some of that pottage, for I'm about to die." Well, first of all, he was not about to die. You say, "How do you know he's not about to die?" Because if you're about to die, you don't eat and then rise up and go on your way about your own business. Jacob said, "All right, if you want some of this pottage, you sell me your birthright." And Esau said, "All right, I'll sell you my birthright just for that bowl of pottage right there." You know what the birthright included? The birthright included, first of all, the headship of the family clan. He was to be the patriarch of the family, whoever had the birthright. Usually the birthright went to the firstborn. But not only was there the headship of the family clan, there was also, secondly, a double portion of the family inheritance. Why? Why did the eldest son get a double portion?

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• Simply because it was the eldest son's responsibility to take care of his elderly mother and father when they could not take care of themselves. So he got a double portion so that he could take care of his parents. And the third part of that birthright was the lineage of Jesus Christ. And what did Esau say? "I'm at the point of death. What do I care about being the head of a family clan? What do I care about a double portion? What do I care about taking care of my parents in their old age? What do I care about the lineage of Jesus Christ? Give me that pottage!" He despised spiritual things.

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• He wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted nothing to do with family responsibility, which is spiritual. He wanted nothing to do with leadership, which is spiritual. He wanted nothing to do with the headship and the lineage of Jesus Christ, which is spiritual. No, he didn't want any part of it. He hated, he despised spiritual things. Let me show you how much he despised spiritual things. Look in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 28.

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• You know the story, how Jacob, after he got the birthright, deceived his father and got the blessing. Now, the blessing went with the birthright. And Jacob knew that Esau would never, ever consent to give him that blessing as well. So Jacob deceived his father and he got the blessing. But I want you to note, after he got the blessing, Esau found out. He came back in. He said, "Bless me, bless me, O my father, hath not thou one blessing left for me?" Well, he said, "I've given your brother this and I've given your brother that, but I'll give you this little minor blessing. But he's got the rest of it." The Bible says in Genesis 27 that Esau determined in his heart that after his father died, he'd kill his brother Jacob. When Isaac found out that Jacob had the birthright and the blessing, he sent him away to Paddan Aram to get a wife. He says, "Don't you marry a woman from one of these heathens around here, you go back and you get someone that's related to us."

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• Now, watch this. Look in Genesis 28 and let's begin reading there with verse 2. Jacob is told by Isaac, "Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people. And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee and to thy seed with thee, that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham." And Isaac sent Jacob and he went to Paddan Aram and to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the mother of Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's mother. "When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram to take him a wife from thence, and that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge saying, 'Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan,' and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and was gone to Paddan Aram, Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father, then went Esau to Ishmael and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife."

  #51 | 34:42 to 35:55 | cleaned

• Notice if you would, when Esau saw that Jacob obeyed, and when he saw that the women of Canaan did not please his father and his mother, what did he do? He deliberately went out and got a Canaanite wife. Where is honor of thy father and thy mother? Where is obeying the word of God? Esau was called a profane man because he despised spiritual things, because his life was contrary to God and contrary to God's word. Let me repeat this. I've said it already. One can be profane and never curse. All you have to do to be profane is to live your life as though God does not exist or that God has never spoken.

  #52 | 35:56 to 36:42 | cleaned

• Profanity is far more than filthy language. It is a lie that ignores, forgets, overlooks and despises that which is right and holy. Have you ever thought about the English word "profane"? Our English word "profane" is derived from the Latin. And the word is extremely telling. Basically, "profane" is made up of two words. "Pro" is a preposition which means "to," "toward," or "before." And "fanum" is the word for temple. You know what a profane man is? He is someone who is outside the temple. He's looking toward it maybe, but he's outside of it. He's not on the inside. He's on the outside. A profane man is one who remains outside of God's Word and outside of God's law. He's one who does not know how to apply the Word of God to every area of his life and does not care to. He does not want to know. He's profane. He's outside the temple.

  #53 | 36:42 to 37:58 | cleaned

• Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Acts chapter 24. You'll see this same charge leveled against the Apostle Paul. Notice in Acts chapter 24 and verse 6. Acts 24, verse 6. They're bringing charges against the Apostle Paul. In fact, let's read verse 5. They said, "For we have found this man a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

  #54 | 37:59 to 38:36 | cleaned

• who also hath gone about to profane the temple, whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away from our hands."

  #55 | 38:36 to 38:50 | cleaned

• Now they said they found the Apostle Paul about to profane the temple, which of course was not true, and if you were to read in Acts 21, and we're not going back there. But when they saw Paul in the temple, they just supposed, they assumed that he had Trophimus with him, who was an Ephesian. And they assumed that he took Trophimus into the temple. He did not. But they're charging the apostle with profaning the temple. The Greek word for profane is "bebēlos." Let me tell you how this word is made up. The word "bebēlos" means to profane. It means to desecrate. But it's actually made up of two Greek words. The first one is "basis," which means to walk or a pace. And the second word is "bēlos," which means a threshold. So the word "profane" here actually means to walk across a threshold. In this instance, to go outside the temple. But they were actually charging the Apostle Paul with bringing Trophimus in the temple. And by the way, I hope you understand it's a different sermon.

  #56 | 38:52 to 40:16 | cleaned

• But you can profane the temple by bringing things into it that ought not to be there, as well as walking across the threshold and going outside the temple. So the word "profane" literally means then to cross over a threshold and to go outside and be before the temple. What is the average professing Christian done in this land? He's crossed the threshold. He's gone outside. He's profaning the one true and the living God. He's taking His name in vain.

  #57 | 40:18 to 40:52 | cleaned

• Look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 26. Ezekiel 22 and verse 26. Notice what God says, Ezekiel 22, verse 26. God says: "Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." The priest! How did the priest profane God's name? By violating His law. How did they profane God's name? By putting no difference between the clean and the unclean. How did they profane God's name? By hiding their eyes from His principles. And God says, "I am profaned among them."

  #58 | 40:53 to 42:02 | cleaned

• That Greek word, "bebēlos," that they used in charging the Apostle Paul with profanity, literally means to cause something that is highly revered to become identified with that which is commonplace. It means to violate sanctity, to desecrate, to profane. Thus, in living a profane life, we profane God Himself and we cause God then to be identified with that which is commonplace, with that which is regular, with that which has no specific consequence. It really doesn't matter. A profane individual thinks it's a waste of time to study the Scripture. It's a waste of time to hear the preaching of the Word of God. It's a waste of time. I can live my life without God. I don't need God. I don't need God's Word. I don't need God's directions. I don't need God telling me what to do. That was Esau. He was a profane individual. When we live a profane life, you know what we're saying? Think about this. We're saying, "You are not the one true and living God.

  #59 | 42:05 to 43:26 | cleaned

• You are not the sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, immutable, infinite God of heaven and earth. You are no more and no better than any other God. And I can disobey you with impunity." That is why Esau was called a profane man. You don't have to curse to be profane. You don't have to use foul and filthy language to be profane. You don't have to tell smutty jokes to be profane. As long as you live a life outside of God and outside of God's law, you're profane.

  #60 | 43:27 to 44:21 | cleaned

• Now let me make some applications. I want you to think about this. I began this message and I told you the title was "Preaching Profanity." Have you stopped to think about that statement? Do you realize when preachers do not preach the whole counsel of God, when they do not preach the entirety of the Word of God, they're preaching profanity. You know why? Because what they're saying is there's some parts of God's Word that don't apply. We don't have to worry about them.

  #61 | 44:23 to 45:08 | cleaned

• He has no authority in those areas. We can safely ignore those areas. Wow! You know what God said in Deuteronomy 8 in verse 3? He said, that He took Israel through the wilderness. And He let them do without for one reason. Here's the reason: "That He might make them know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Did you know that our Lord in Luke 4 and verse 4 said, "It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Now listen, young people. Does God speak about marriage? Yes. Does He speak about economics? Yes. Does He speak about law? Yes. Does He speak about government? Yes. Does He speak about education? Yes. Does He speak about every area of our life? And the answer is yes. How many of those areas can you safely ignore? None.

  #62 | 45:09 to 46:20 | cleaned

• And when you do so, you're profane. And when preachers ignore them, they're profane. They're saying that we can ignore God and his word with impunity. Proverbs 13, verse 5 tells us every word of God is pure. When you and I endeavor to live our lives apart from God and His law word, we're living profane lives. We're taking God's name in vain. We are denying, listen carefully, that His sovereignty undergirds reality. You are not the determiner of reality. Reality does not exist for you or by you or through you or in you. Reality is what God declares it to be. And what you're saying is, "Lord, I don't need You to determine reality for me. I don't need You to explain things to me. I can be my own God and I can determine reality for myself." You cannot. And unless you're standing firmly and fully upon Him and His Word, and submitting and surrendering to His sovereignty, you're living a profane life.

  #63 | 46:22 to 47:44 | cleaned

• I hope you can see the era of relativism. Relativism just simply says that there is no right and wrong. Everything's just kind of grayish. Well, God speaks about right and wrong. He speaks about clean and unclean. He speaks about profane and holy. And you need to be able to distinguish between those things. You just remember this. All who refuse to bow to God in his word are profane.

  #64 | 47:46 to 48:25 | cleaned

• They have crossed the threshold. They're outside the temple looking in. And it really comes down to this. We will either honor God by our obedience and not take his name in vain and not profane his name or we will dishonor him by our disobedience and carry his name in vain and profane his holy name. Profanity is more than language. It's a lie. It's an attitude. It's a conduct. It's a conversation. God has called us to be holy. If we're not going to profane His name, we must be holy as He is holy. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we do not want to be profane in any area of our lives.

  #65 | 48:27 to 49:44 | cleaned

• in our marriages, in our homes, in our economics, in our education. We want Thee and Thy Word. Thou art the Sovereign. Thou art the determiner of reality. Help us not be like those who profess that we know Him, but in works we deny Him, being abominable and filthy, and to every good work reprobate. Make us holy. Keep us inside the temple of Thy Word, that we may bring our lives into complete conformity to Your truth.

  #66 | 49:47 to 50:39 | cleaned

• In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.

  #67 | 50:41 to 50:44 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T13:42:36Z